Could RB Ezekiel Elliott be next Le'Veon Bell?

A lot of media members these days project runningback Ezekiel Elliott going to the the Dallas Cowboys which has the no.4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Reports coming out of NFL.com by Gregg Rosenthal says that the Chicago Bears shouldn't expect Elliott to be around when it selects with the 11th overall pick.

Elliott can play all three downs as he is a tough runner, excellent pass blocker someone his age and also has great hands out of the backfield. In a day and age where pundits and front office executives around the league believe that running backs are a dime a dozen these days (Which in all reality isn't true) many seem to believe that Elliott is a rare talent.

The risk in taking a runningback high in the draft is durability because at any given time, a runningback can just hit a wall and never return to the form he was at before not to mention there is a stigma on runningbacks in today's league when they reach the age of 30. A lot of the success in the running game in today's league is on how much room an offensive line can create for a runningback. Very few runners in this league can create space for himself and one of the few who can create space for himself is Le'Veon Bell for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over the last two seasons, when healthy, Bell has been considered the best runningback in the NFL surpassing Minnesota Vikings runningback Adrian Peterson and Kansas City Chiefs runningback Jamaal Charles. Bell's ability to run hard between the tackles, be elusive and also split out wide as a wide receiver is an offenses dream. Bell can play in any system. Mind you, Bell at 6'1 weighing 220 pounds, ran a 4.6 in his scouting combine in 2013. Elliott at 6'0 weighing 225 pounds, ran a 4.4 at his scouting combine this past February.

I'm not saying that Elliott will be the next Bell, because that is a high standard to live of to. But some of the measurable's are there and with his stock rising, it is apparent many people around the NFL believe that Elliott has the potential to be a special player. And if you are a team like the Baltimore Ravens which doesn't have clear starter in place for the future, it could be hard for the team to pass up on him even though the Ravens are interested in adding a pass rusher.